Tribhuvan Suthar Suthar থেকে Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Wow. I wasn't sure what to really expect with this one, but was intrigued enough by the reviews and especially by the excerpt I read. I'm glad I went for it. The God Eaters is an adventure story with a strong "love never gives up." What I really enjoyed in this story was how centered and grounded I was through the whole thing. Hajicek knew his world and never fumbled with the details. An example I can share is Ashleigh's glasses. When he had them, he had them and occasionally they would get dirty or knocked off. When he didn't have them, he didn't have them and he had trouble seeing far away. When he got them back, they were with him. It's those kind of consistencies that make stories real for me and Hajicek was good enough to do it. Both characters are awesome and just as realistic. They grow, they change, they harden, they soften, they learn. And they never give up, which was such a heartening thing to see when all the crap thrown at them is nearly over their heads. Their romance is slow, beginning as cell mates, then allies, growing into friends, and then into lovers. It was a very natural process that I enjoyed watching. I wouldn't really classify this as a romance and yet their love is what really moves the book along. Perhaps I don't see it as a romance because it wasn't very romantic. It begins in a prison and doesn't get any nicer, but when they are struggling together and for each other, it's definitely love. The mythological aspect to the story was imaginative and a lot of fun. I enjoy stories that explore that area and it was done with cleverness. The writing was simple in places and eloquent in others, each using language to truly express the emotions the author needed the reader to see or feel. But it never got bogged down on itself, never tripped itself up, never became too boring or too decorative. It kept me glued to the pages even though I had so many other things to do. But it was very, very worth it.